Sometimes you’ve got to spend a few days in a lakeside cabin with the dog … with a pot-bellied pig named Pete in the backyard.

Welcome to extremely pet-friendly Cabin on Musselman Lake in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada, complete with everything you need – full kitchen, small appliances, dog bed, living room, flat-screen TV with Netflix, four-seat kitchen table, a bedroom divided with a sliding barn door.

Picture magazine-spread ready décor – predominantly white with colour accents creating a beachfront vibe. The Muskoka Chairs and gas fire table on the front porch face the lake – perfect for sunset watching. And designed to bring your dog along. Add this place to the list of dog desirable places we at dogtrotting.net search out – places actually designed for (but not exclusive to) the dog traveller.

Dog-friendly Cabin on Musselman’s Lake

At the Cabin on Musselman’s Lake, it was the fenced dog area in the back that got my attention. It’s not big, but the sliding glass door opens to the backyard, and the immediate area is gated and fenced with a patio table and BBQ. Being able to open the back door and let the dog out without having to tether her is a luxury I don’t have at home. Of course, she wants me to hang out with her, even outside, so coffee outdoors it is.

Even better, Pete the potbellied pig, whose pen is steps away from the fenced patio, pops out of his house occasionally looking for snacks like apples and carrots. However, he’s not fond of the dog getting close to his fence – my dog, however, is absolutely fascinated with him. While we were sitting out in the backyard fenced patio, she loudly announced his appearance …. every time he popped out of his red house. He’s quite the charmer is his own opinionated old-man way.

This one-bedroom cottage, attached to the owner’s main house, was the original building on this property facing Musselman’s Lake – just across the narrow street circling the lake. In fact, all the properties lining Musselman’s Lake are privately owned and only a few, like Musselman’s Cottage, can be rented, usually via Airbnb.

Musselman Lake, Ontario

Most shoreline around Musselman’s Lake is privately owned – most properties have their own access gate and stairs to a dock on the lake. The Cabin on Musselman’s Lake is no exception. Access to the floating dock where you’ll find a paddleboat, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards are included with the rental.

Water sports aren’t my thing, and the days we visited in the fall were a little rainy and chilly anyway. You can see to the other side of the lake in the distance, but the water is deep, varying between 8 to 27 metres. Musselman’s Lake is primarily spring-fed and has no major inflowing rivers, which contributes to its clear waters. It’s not man-made (which I originally assumed) but is here thanks to glaciers thousands of years ago.

Dog-friendly Trails and Park Access

Many come for the lake, but it’s what’s behind the cabin that keeps me and my dog busy: 160 acres of wooded and field trails are accessed through the back door. First, there’s an obvious trail, used by cars to park behind the house, that leads straight to the public park and splash pad area. For small pups, a walk here and around the exercise route, lined with equipment and activity directions, and back might be enough.

But for my crazy spaniel, we’re just getting started. Follow the paved path up the hill to the covered picnic table, then pick up one of the mowed trails, which you can follow through fields, woods, and past other cottage yards for hours. We walked for an hour one way and back again and didn’t find the end. The journey is a bit of a labyrinth because the trails through the fields are mowed by locals to give hikers something to follow until you get to the forest.

If your dog is good off-leash, you can walk safely through the trails, and we met no one else. But my spaniel will take off for miles after a bird and tall grass is her genetic domain. So, on leash it was for her. The trails cut through the high grass like a corn maze are easy to follow – and unlike corn, you can see over them. Pure bliss for my pup.

Keep in mind that the host family has two dogs that are occasionally in the backyard, and there is a steep flight of steps to the front door, if accessibility is an issue. You can be as active or relaxed as you want to be here without sacrificing comfort for either you or the pup. Other than walking with the dog and visiting the dog-friendly patio at SlabTown Cidery, about a 20-minute drive away, this was a weekend of Netflix, reading, and introducing my dog to the uncertainty (hers, not mine) of a floating lake dock facing the nightly sunset.

Musselman’s History

Musselman’s Lake, about 50 kilometres from Toronto, has long been a recreational destination. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it became a popular retreat for Toronto residents who traveled north by rail. Cottages began appearing around its shoreline in the early 1900s, and today the lake supports both seasonal and permanent residences – some original-sized (like Musselman’s Cabin), but other new builds on old sites are getting remarkably tall.

Musselman Lake in Brief:

• Location: About 50 km north of Toronto in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
• Activities: Boating, fishing, swimming, and hiking in surrounding forests.
• Fishing: Bass, perch, and pike are common catches.
• Public Access: Limited; most shoreline is private property. You’ll need to rent a cabin along the shoreline.
• Restaurants: Several small restaurants including Lolli & Pops, Fishbone by the Lake, and SlabTown Cidery, where dogs are permitted on the patio (but not enthusiastically).
• Nearby Attractions: Hiking trails behind the cabin and other cottage rentals. Goodwood – the town that’s home to several buildings that served as sets when filming the popular TV show Schitt’s Creek.

If you go….

Cabin on Musselman’s Lake is available for rent via Airbnb or check out the property’s website. Located along Musselman’s Lake in Stouffville, Ontario, 45 minutes from downtown Toronto. One bedroom, queen bed, full kitchen and bathroom. High-speed internet, cable, water sports equipment and fenced dog-friendly back patio.

Loli & Pops Snack Shack,150 Cedarvale Blvd, Whitchurch-Stouffville, dog-friendly sidewalk tables.

Fishbone by the Lake,155 Cedarvale Blvd, Whitchurch-Stouffville, dog-friendly outdoor patio

SlabTown Cidery, 4559 Concession 6, Uxbridge, dog-tolerated outdoor patio

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria. Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!